Two PhD positions for Attachment: In vivo, in silico, in theory

at  Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

JOUW FUNCTIE

In their first year of life, babies develop trust in their caregivers. This trust enables them to explore their environment and learn. However, caregivers exhibit different levels of sensitive responsiveness, leading to various types of attachment relationships. The exact mechanisms and timing of these differences remain unknown. To measure attachment development, research conducted in the everyday home environment is essential. In this project you will employ novel techniques for automated, long-term measurement of attachment and caregiver-child interaction embedded in the home, using video, audio, position tracking, and physiology (the ‘in vivo’ part of the project). Based on this, you will construct a computational, agent-based model that interactively illuminates attachment development and explains variations in attachment relationships (the ‘in silico’ part). As a result, you open up the field for a transparent, testable, and consequential elaboration of attachment theory for which John Bowlby laid the foundations in the 1950s (the ‘in theory’ part). While attachment research in the 1970s started with researchers following mothers and babies with their notepads for hours, days, weeks, and months on end, new technologies are now available to obtain more detailed and more objective data on the subtle ways in which babies, mother, fathers, and other caregivers interact with each other. The project invites caregivers to be co-researchers with our team in this endeavor and develop this approach so that computer modelling of attachment relationships can become a welcome addition to traditional measurement.
As a computationally oriented behavioral scientist or a behaviorally oriented computer scientist, you will work with a team of researchers versed in attachment research, computational social science, early life social interaction and neuroscience, behavioral AI, and parenting support. Furthermore, with the team of the Generations2- cohort study, you will recruit a sample of infants and caregivers in and around Amsterdam who are as curious as we are in how these early and intimate human bonds develop. During workshops and work visits in London, Cambridge, Glasgow, and Amsterdam you will learn to work with wearables and equipment placed in the homes and the lab.

JOUW PROFIEL

We are particularly looking for you if you

• want to broaden your skills and expertise beyond your primary training in either social and behavioral sciences (e.g., psychology, educational sciences, epidemiology) or computer sciences and technology (e.g., informatics, data science, artificial intelligence, computational science, bioinformatics)
• are comfortable with coding in R, Python, or Matlab
• enjoy working as a team
• demonstrate good academic writing skills
• are keen to combine reading, coding, and writing with engaging with families, seeking to flexibly bridge science and practice
• are proficient in academic English and can independently use Dutch with research participants (at least B1 level or well-underway towards that)
• are interested in the possibilities of human-oriented technology

As a university, we strive for equal opportunities for all, recognising that diversity takes many forms. We believe that diversity in all its complexity is invaluable for the quality of our teaching, research and service. We are always looking for talent with diverse backgrounds and experiences. This also means that we are committed to creating an inclusive community so that we can use diversity as an asset.
We realise that each individual brings a unique set of skills, expertise and mindset. Therefore we are happy to invite anyone who recognises themselves in the profile to apply, even if you do not meet all the requirements.

Please refer the Job description for details